Monday, March 16, 2009

JA from MNPP here. I watched The Hustler yesterday for the first time, and every time Piper Laurie was on-screen (as Eddie's usually-sloshed lover Sarah) all I could hear was the future echo of that career-defining "roadhouse whiskey" speech Laurie would give 15 years later in Carrie. What do we really know of Carrie's father after all? Just that he puts his drunken hands all over her mother Margaret and Margaret liked it, she liked it!!!

Sarah liked it so much that when Eddie recommended she get treatment for her drinking problem, she she slid into his arms and slurred "I'm getting my treatment right here."

I hear ya, sister. That's some treatment.

When was the last time you couldn't watch one performance by an actor without it being colored and reshaped by another performance of theirs that's so iconic to you that it infiltrates their every cinematic moment that you see?

Piper will just always be Margaret White to me, and St. Sebastien bless her for it..

When was the last time you couldn't watch one performance by an actor without it being colored and reshaped by another performance of theirs that's so iconic to you that it infiltrates their every cinematic moment that you see?

All through Gran Torino I had Dirty Harry on my mind, but I think that was the filmmakers' intent. However, I doubt that they wanted me to be thinking of The Bridges of Madison County during the scenes when he was driving around in his truck.

You couldn't watch "Benjamin Button" without thinking of "A River Runs Through It" and a bunch of other beautiful Brad Pitt films. But that seemed intentional (and distracting) so I don't know if it counts.

As for Piper Laurie, I'll always think of Mr. Tojamura whenever I see her. She a queen of WTF'ness.

Piper Laurie is amazing in Carrie. It's funny that her Stephen King stands over every performance, but when I watch Kathy Bates I don't usually dwell upon Misery.

I can't think of any actors who have single performances that "colour" every other viewing. You'd think Javier Bardem as Anton Chigurh, or Philip Seymour Hoffman as Capote have the potential to do so, but I think they both have the range to avoid it.

Jodie Foster is a possibility, after The Silence of the Lambs... but that's probably cheating, because besides that film, most of what I've seen of her are her recent thrillers and I tend to sit there thinking "I wish I was watching The Silence of the Lambs right now".

For me, I can't watch anything that stars Henry Fonda without thinking about Once Upon a Time in the West. Come to think of it, I think about Once Upon if I see anything with Jason Robards...or Claudia Cardinale...or Charles Bronson...or any Western...or any film, really. Man, I love that movie.

I love all of you that only see Piper Laurie as her varied Twin Peaks characters. I for one always forget she's even on the show until someone reminds me and then suddenly this terrifying storm of her weirdness therein washes over me anew...

Catherine Martell is my *favorite* character on Twin Peaks.... and I can't imagine Piper Laurie in anything else without thinking of Catherine (or Mr Tojamura for that matter.... "Dummy! It's me!"), Carrie included. Think about it, Catherine is the only character in Twin Peaks who doesn't end up crazy or dead. She wins!